I got iga nephropathy as an infant and was relatively stable until my twenties (I am now 34) but over the last 10-14 years my GFR has been dropping. Was at a 59 in 2008 and now at a 36 in July of 2019. I will admit, I smoked cigarettes, vaped nicotine and drank too much during those years and really had no idea what these numbers meant. I also had a really bad gout attack a few years ago and started eating medical marijuana (which by the way stopped my gout and cured my insomnia to the point where I dont have to take any supplements). Here is where I am at though...
My wife just gave birth to our 4th child. I am happily married, have a successful business and absolutely adore my kids. We travel a lot and are a fairly active family considering we have 4 kids under 7. I am freaking myself out by reading every single thing I can about CKD.
Question 1:
I am (obviously) willing to give up everything I love to live a full long life with my family. This includes, meat, alcohol, weed, salt, etc. That being said, I am irish and my entire life revolves around social events because of the size of our family and our businesses. These events all involve alcohol and meat. What do you guys recommend? Vegan with no alcohol or marijuana? To be honest, if I dont take marijuana before bed, I will usually only sleep for about 1 hour out of 8-9... Its a big deal and sleeping pills just made me groggy the next day.... I have read people say they take CBD and it has improved their GFR but I have also read studies online that say it can hurt the kidneys. What say you?
Question 2:
How long can you maintain a GFR number? If I change my lifestyle including working out at least 3 times a week and eat extremely clean how long can you maintain your GFR if you are in the 30-45 range?
Thanks guys!
I don't really know how serious you are. Your kidneys aren't Irish and don't know about alcohol and meat, except that they have issues processing them.
I can't speak to the damage you have already inflicted on yourself but going forward, get serious about getting on AND staying on a kidney-friendly meal plan. That will include staying away from red meat, processed foods, sodium, tobacco, alcohol and everything else a qualified Renal Dietitian mentions after reviewing your last years worth of labs.
You also have to stay hydrated with water, and work with the doctors on your Care Team and develop an exercise regimen that you can stick with.
Keep a photo with you of your family and every time you are tempted to reach for a cheeseburger or an alcoholic drink look at the photo and decide which is the best option for them.
Best of luck.
Great advice! I will do just that. My wife is a personal trainer so the workout part is easier than most as it is already built into our lifestyle. Its the beer that will be hard. I was way into BBQ and smoking meats too... Giving all that up right now. Just wondering if its ok to have a beer or two at a function? have you heard of anybody maintaining their GFR for 40 years or does it always decline even with a kidney diet? Thanks Mr_Kidney!
I can understand your feelings about smokin' meats. My specialties were brisket and ribs. A sad day when I had to sell my pellet smoker. Also, a cold beer with ribs or a barbeque pizza was great. I had to make a choice and I did. It's your life and your decision.
Just think about a plate of smoked ribs with an ice-cold beer, while you're hooked up to a dialysis machine having a 3-4 hour treatment instead of going on a trip with your kids. It's up to you.
Kidney function declines with age and declines even faster when abused.